Not since Bob Marley has Jamaica produced such a successful musical ambassador as Shaggy. And no one has been as instrumental in shaping the sound of modern dancehall reggae as «Mr. Boombastic». Born Orville Burrell, Shaggy first took this new form of island rhythm into the global charts in 1992 with «Oh Carolina». Now, ten years down the line, Shaggy has reinvented himself in a poppier incarnation, notching up triumph after triumph with every new release from «Hot Shot» to «Clothes Drop». The Zurich-based rapper Bligg will be attempting something similar in the first half of the show. He is moving away from hip-hop towards a style that draws more on soul, pop and even rock.

Martin Schäfer